
Systems Test Engineer, PHY Layer
Tarana Wireless • Milpitas, California, United States
Salary: $130,000 - $175,000 / year
Role & seniority: Senior Systems Test Engineer (senior individual contributor)
Stack/tools: Python automation from scratch; OFDM wireless system development (LTE/5G-NR, IEEE 802.11 variants); Linux; TCP/UDP traffic generation; Git, GitLab, Jira; performance dashboards; test pipelines
Top 3 responsibilities
-
Design and execute system test plans for product features; independently implement automation scripts
-
Define, tune, and surface KPIs via dashboards; perform daily performance regression analysis and triage issues
-
Analyze failures to identify root causes; review pipelines, diagnose test infrastructure capacity, and support timely SW/HW releases
Must-have skills
-
B.S. in Electrical Engineering (M.S. preferred), focus on wireless communications/signal processing
-
3+ years in wireless device/system verification; strong understanding of PHY/MAC perspectives
-
Hands-on Python automation development; ability to learn complex systems quickly
-
Experience with OFDM-based systems (LTE/5G-NR, IEEE 802.11 variants)
-
Linux proficiency; experience with Git/GitLab/Jira; TCP/UDP testing and protocol debugging
-
Strong triage, analysis, organizational discipline, and communication skills
Nice-to-haves
-
Deep experience with hardware/software validation workflows; performance metric design
-
Experience building and maintaining test dashboards and automated pipelines
-
Prior exposure to test fixtures, scheduling, and capacity planning
-
Locat
Full Description
Join the Team That's Redefining Wireless Technology
At Tarana, we're more than just a fast-growing tech company—we’re a team of bold innovators on a mission to revolutionize broadband. Our groundbreaking Fixed Wireless Access technology is delivering fiber-class internet speeds worldwide, bridging the digital divide in ways previously thought impossible. In this role, Senior Systems Test Engineer will be part of a team responsible for the performance validation of Tarana’s wireless products. Our ideal candidate is a hands-on, self-driven engineer with a solid understanding of system-level performance metrics and their connection to user experience, a drive to deliver high-quality hardware and software products, an aptitude for troubleshooting complex systems, and a strong working knowledge of wireless technology from the PHY/MAC layer perspective.
What You’ll Do
- Design and develop system test plans for product features, and independently implement automation test scripts in collaboration with systems engineers and software developers.
- Define, implement, and tune key performance indicators that reliably catch performance shortfalls while minimizing false alarms. Expose these metrics through dashboards to enable the automated tracking of release progress.
- Perform daily performance regression analysis, not limited to features you own, and identify whether the failures are software regressions, hardware/platform dependent, or test fixtures specific. Proactively address all types of issues.
- Critically analyze failures and independently narrow down the root cause of issues by analyzing performance figures and logs, which requires a deep understanding of the system and its modules.
- Review daily pipelines and assist in identifying and fixing pipeline infrastructure issues. Assess if test fixtures are running at capacity, identify deficiencies in the test scheduling, and contribute to the development and validation of improvements to the overall test machinery.
- Support the timely SW and HW product release process, interfacing closely with systems engineers, software engineers, and program managers.
What You'll Need
B. S. degree in Electrical Engineering, M.S. preferred with a focus on wireless communications and signal processing.
- 3+ years of experience in wireless device and system verification.
- Working experience with OFDM wireless system development and validation, preferably with LTE/5G-NR, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/ad/ay.
- Ability to design, develop, and implement automation solutions in Python from scratch (not just modifying existing code)
- Ability to learn complex systems quickly and be willing to face new challenges.
- Strong triage and analysis skills to diagnose and resolve product issues.
- Discipline to execute on daily/high-cadence deliverables in an organized fashion.
- Excellent analytical skills and a go-getter attitude
- Experience with TCP/UDP traffic generation tools, traffic testing, and protocol-level debugging
- Working experience with Linux systems, Git, GitLab, and Jira
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
What we offer
- We don’t just build next-gen wireless technology — we build people.
The salary range for this position is: $130,000 to $175,000 Compensation will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to: skill set, years of experience and the employee’s geographic location.
Tarana provides competitive benefits to employees in this role including: Medical, dental and vision benefits, 401K match, flexible time off and stock option.
Join Tarana and help shape the future of wireless connectivity. About Us Tarana’s mission is to accelerate the deployment of fast, affordable, and reliable internet access around the world. Through a decade of R&D and over $400M of investment, the Tarana team has created and continues to enhance a suite of next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) technologies. Its unique ngFWA platform delivers game-changing advances in broadband economics in mainstream and underserved markets, using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Tarana’s ngFWA technology has been embraced by more than 300 service providers in 24 countries. Tarana is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with additional research and development in Pune, India. Learn more at www.taranawireless.com.